Pisgah Baptista | Pisgah Brewing Co.

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You could probably imagine I would have a few of these at least laying around. So I decided to crack one open after it had been sitting for almost a year in the cellar. Served at cellar temp in a goblet, this one was consumed on 09/12/2008 while watching the Ike landfall, good luck everyone.

The pour was very nice, with an extremely hazy, golden yellow that just gurgled out of the glass. A slight touch of a white head came up across the top of the glass which settled down into a slight little bit of a crown that strung together throughout the session. Decent amount of side glass lace as well.

The aroma was extremely rich. Lots of fruity yeast coming through immediately after popping the cork. Some nice notes of peach and banana, hints of apricot and light wheat mixing in throughout. Very light grassy hop notes as it warms up as well as a touch of grapes. The flavor was extremely mellow and that was an understatement. Amazingly clean and complex, this was just stunning for the style and ABV. Rich notes of apricot and peach with light hoppy notes riddled throughout. Some decent light grain which really balanced the middle of the profile quite well. I was literally floored by the mellowness of this one. It is a huge Belgian style ale that really is just soo subtle, I found myself really just taking bigger and bigger sips as I went through it. For a Belgian strong, it was amazing at how it brought its point home without overwhelming anything.

Overall this was amazing, especially after a good year sitting and waiting to be opened. I really just was amazed drinking this one tonight as the banana and clove flavors just whirled around and mixed with a nice apricot flavor which just came through so well. I am not sure what else to say, this was just impressive. I am always a big fan, but shit, this is just what it is all about, huge experimentation that really just pushed the limits, but came though superb. Go get this.

Aroma: Wow! Full of lots of spices. Freshly crushed pepper and lemon were prominent.

Taste: This is the most flavorful beer I've ever had. Lots of great fruity Belgian flavors, and winter ale spices, and some other flavors I'd never tasted in a beer before. The brewer confirmed the presence of some unusual herbs used in the brewing process. Nice spicy flavor that melds well with the fruitiness and maltiness of the beer.

The beer poured into the chalice medium brown with an off-white head which never rose tall and retreated to the edges of the surface due to the alcohol content.

The aroma was deep and complex with a nice Belgian yeast spice character and a fruity profile which contained a light banana, citrus and light presence of alcohol. The aroma's spice contributions were very lightly clove and pepper based. The alcohol led to a mysterious character and did not detract from the aroma.

The flavor was lighter than one would expect on an 11.5% ABV beer. Dark fruits were presence, raisins and prunes, but not at a high level, more muted and melded. The spice from the Belgian yeast was lightly peppery and contained a clove character. The flavor was fruity and estery with light banana as the predominate characteristic. Caramel accentuated the fruit and spice very well.

The finish was just dry with lasting fruit and pepper spice into the aftertaste. The body was medium full and with a moderate, but not high level of carbonation this one was easy to consume. Alcohol was certainly present in the aroma, flavor and warming after consumption, but the presence was restrained and well achieved. A beer just a notch short of being phenomenal. Get some if you can.

22 ounce capped bottle (mine had no label and was purchased at the brewery).

Pours a medium amber with some copper notes- not as dark as some. The head is pure white and fine beaded, but there isn't much of it and no real lacing to speak of. The smell is of apples and especially of bananas as well of biscuits and honey. Becomes much more noticeable as it warms. The taste is lovely, with big notes of banana, molasses, a touch of clove, biscuits again, some apricot, and bubblegum on the finish. Very nice mouthfeel- creamy, even a little waxy with a fairly thick but not grainy body. Very drinkable! Smooth and delicious.It is warming but the high abv isn't that noticeable. Great beer, and my first from this brewery. I was lucky to get it.

Poured a hazey yellow-orange onto a snifter. Thin head lingered for a moment before settling into a ring around the edges.
Smelled of dried tropical fruits like papaya and pineapple citrusy as well.
Taste sweet at first like honey-horehound candy. Crisp fruit moving to the back of the tongue with a citrus tartness. Finished down with a peppery finish.
Felt light due to carbonation but alcohol will keep you honest.
Goes down smooth and the taste changes as it warms to room temp. A great beer to enjoy slowly.
I tried this beer at the brewery along with valdez and solstice. I remember being impressed...but that's about it. I thought that I needed a second, more sober taste at home. I'm glad I did. I love this beer.

Pours a slightly hazy golden apricot orange color with golden yellowish hues when held to a light source and a 1.5 finger frothy white head. Excellent retention, only slowly fading over the course of the glass into a lasting cap that leaves sporadic chunks of lacing in it's wake.

Slightly funky, tart aroma. Earthy with lots of interesting spice, bready yeast and estery crisp fruit notes. I'm picking up some peppermint, clove and cinnamon as well as some cherry, strawberry, raisin, grape and other berries. Thankfully there is no unpleasant medicinal cough syrup notes that are often associated with this style. Hopefully this holds up in the flavor.

Creamy medium body that's on the fuller end. Well balanced with zesty spice up front followed by a lactic creamy presence and bready yeast presence mid-palate. I'm picking up peppermint, cinnamon, coriander and pepper along with cherry, strawberry and pear. Sweet dry finish. Very well balanced and the alcohol is excellently masked. I can't believe that this beer is 11.5%. I would have guessed closer to 7 or 8%. This is one of the best examples of this style that I've had and I highly recommend it.

s: Fabulously complex Belgian pale malts and light sugars are complimented by a well done spice and hop counterpart. Spicy sweet ethanol is a big compliment. A range of fruits from apple to banana and some light lemongrass. Love the yeast presence, not really very estery, but subtle and bready. Near 5.

m: medium-high, smooth carbonation and a clean medium body

t: Pale Belgian barley malts with great notes of spicy Belgian yeasts and an extremely light sweetness. Smooth and delicately complex with just a touch of ethanol heat. Apple, pear, and white fig. Nice, long finish with a papery aged hop flavor.

d: a dangerously delicious sipper at 11.5%

from my new Hommel snifter at the hotel...750 mL bottle from Bruisin' Ales, winter 2007

M - Luxurious mouthfeel, sweet yet smooth nutty feel w/ a great finish. The texture is supple and moderately low carbonation which seems appropos for the size of beer

T - Sweet pils malt w/ a slight spice and creamy bready malt flavor. There are light fruit elements at work here, like pear and possibly white grape w/ a very light nutty malt taste w/ a spice that may be yeast or gentle hopping.

D - Very impressive offering - my second taste of Pisgah is very much appreciated. A nice tribute to the inventor of the concept of 'gas'. I found this to be highly drinkable for the abv and would love the chance to taste more than 6 or 7 ounces. This was a great beer to share, thanks Matt.

KilgoreTrout27 is the man for hooking me up with this beer. Winter 2006, best by 2018. If I'm still alive in 2018, I'd like to sample this beer.

A: First off, file this label away to be nominated later for "coolest label". They recommend it goes into the chalice, so in it goes.
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Copper chestnut in color, clean and refined with a smatch batch of sediment in the bottom of the glass. Dozens of lazy bubble streams make their way to the top of the glass. At the surface, a finger full of creamy vanilla bean colored bubbles form a nice head.

T: The first impression is how sweet this beer is. There's a lot of sugar in here but that's ok, its going to help this beers shelf life. The sweetness starts with banana, brown sugar and wheat grass with bubblegum right on their tail. Explosive flavor, nobody will accuse this beer of being dull. Next stop is golden raisins, yellow plums and apricots with a real sticky persona to it. I also detect coconut, mango, vanilla and other tropical delights. As it warms, the flavors keep shifting, reinventing itself if you will...like a moving target. Gentle sprinkling of spices are folded in; nips of pepper, dash or fresh coriander and even some earthly thyme. Finishes tutti frutti with lip smacking preserves and banana's foster considerations.

M: Full, soft, silky with syrupy aspects.

D: This is a really friggin good beer and its only going to get better with age. Bit cloying after an entire bottle, so its recommended that you share this with another beer lover. Each sip was an adventure, wondering which part of my palate would react after each swallow. North Carolina representing :thumbup:

Won a bottle in a generous LIF from mikesgroove, thanks again.
Appearance - Poured a golden apple cider like gold with a fair head that lasted and left a nice white lacing.
Smell - Smells of apples, citrus, fruit, numerous spices, a bready yeast and alcohol are all present. Nice complexity for the nose.
Taste - The taste is just as complex as the aroma. Apples, spices and alcohol are definatley dominate but there are numerous other tastes going on as well.
Mouthfeel - a smooth slippery-like mouthfeel leaves a slight tingle on the tongue.
Drinkability - Overall this is a complex brew but very drinkable but the ABV will limit the amount you can consume in a sitting. Outstanding would definatley drink again. I would like to find another and age it for awhile to see what happens then. Seek this out if you can and give it a try.

This beer was nicely packaged in a corked and caged 750ml, and Pisgah's labels are attractive as well. The beer was a nice orange color with a white head and there was ample amounts of carbonation. The smell was spices and fruit. The taste was spice and bannanna. The Belgian yeast was not overpowering here. This is a very drinkable beer if you can get ahold of some. I would certainly try this beer again. This beer reminds me a lot of the Scaldis Noel. A solid offering from a solid brewery.

11% ABV. Pisgah's "Belgian Noel" seasonal offering, a strong dark (but not too dark!) brew. Beautiful bronze color with a complex nose that immediately caught my attention -- too many things going on to single any one out, yet not too busy to be confusing. All I could say was, "Wow." This was clearly the coup-de-grace of the day for me. Truly complex, truly amazing...I must say that I have as of yet not had any true Christmas Ales from Belgium or the Netherlands, so I can't compare the Baptista against the heralds of the style, but style aside, I fell in love with this thing. And, no watery finish here! More along the lines of a dry barleywine or sherry finish, really. And wonderful with cheese all the way. More, please!

thanks to mikesgroove for this via trade! Wow, I had to keep looking at the label to be sure this didn't come from Belgium.

A - nice straw color, bottle opened with no pop but definite solid streams of carbonation with a nice through the bottle white head.
S - complex Belgian yeast, spices and a nice clove / caramel character
T - spicey peppery belgian yeast notes dominate wiht a light undertone of clove and carmel to round it out.
M - medium to full in body with a solid carbonation level, sharp, dry in the finish.
D - please sir may I have another?

thankfully I have another to enjoy later. This is one heck of a belgian brew from NC. Yes, NC. Damn they got it soo right. Get it if you can.

Appearance: Tarnished gold in color but without the huge frothy head signature of the style; instead, there's just a thin white cap that quickly settles to a crown.

Smell: Spiced apple cider with a faint lemony twang. Heavily spiced in general, but thankfully not cloying, and no spice is so extreme that it's plainly obvious what they tossed in here. There's a lot of estery complexity as well beneath the spices.

Taste & mouthfeel: Unfermented apple cider and pumpkin pie; very spicy and fruity, though not extremely sweet. There's a faint acidity in the spicy finish along with a hint of heat from the alcohol, but all in all this is pretty mellow stuff, dangerously drinkable for its 11.5% ABV.

Notes: Got this one from mikesgroove as an extra in a recent trade. Thanks Mike!

Another very solid offering from Pisgah. Winter 2007 bottling. And Pisgah corks are a pain, by the way.

Light on the tongue with little to suggest 11.5%. Smells of spicy tropical fruits. Banana. The taste is rather fruity (again, the light, tropical fruits), with a fair bit of spice (think white pepper and whatnot) and some alcohol warmth. Candi sugar. Peaches. Nicely carbonated. Very drinkable with a lightness on the tongue that many American examples of the style fail to exhibit.

Poured into a tulip a cloudy dark orange color, nice carbonation, nice small creamy off-white head, which leaves some very nice thick white creamy lacing. The nose is malty, yeast, some nice tones of spices, slight dark fruits. The taste is mostly malty/yeasty, with some tones of spicyness, very slight dark fruits. Medium body, a complex brew. Very drinkable, this is a twist on a BSDA in my book, very nice, but quite different.

A hazy golden/amber color with no real head to speak of. For a beer that has virtually no head it leaves quite a bit of lacing.

Big, bold spicy and fruity aroma. Very interesting smells, there are some very nice tropical type fruits and a faint hint of yeast. There is also a slightly boozy smell lingering in the background.

The sweet fruity flavors are the most pronounced. Lots of apricot and banana, I do get some citrusy notes but just hints here and there. There is also an almost artificial sweetness lurking around in there. I am also getting some wine like notes. There is alot going on in this beer, and it all seems to come together nicely. The alcohol is definately there and detectible, but not boozy. Medium/heavy body and very little carbonation.

This is a terrific beer, I have come to expect nothing less from the guys at Pisgah...

Pours a slightly hazy dark orange with a thin head that left some spotty lacing. Aroma was dominated by tropical citrus fruits. Tropical citrus also dominated the complex taste with dried fruits and apple thrown in as well. The beer is certainly on the heavy side with noticeable syrupy alcohol. This one is a sipper for sure, but a very enjoyable one.

Received this brew from brentk56 and mikesgroove (Black Booty BIF). Ive been sitting on brentk56 for quite some time now. Tonight seemed like a great time to pop this while watching all the conference championship games. Drank from my Ithaca Excelsior tulip.

Winter 2007. Best before 12/2019.

Appearance- Pours a light golden yellow with a decent one finger bright white foamy head. The cap recedes fairly quickly leaving a thin top and thick collar with a bit of spotty lacing.
Smell- Lightly spicy from the start with a nice dark fruity aspect. Some white pepper, clove and mace combine with apricots and raisins to make a fairly inviting nose. A bit of candied sweetness is detectable but it's subtle and accentuates the fruitiness nicely. The Belgium yeast is noticeable but I don't find it overly powerful like some can be. I get zero alcohol in the nose as well which is pretty amazing considering its damn near 12%.
Taste- Starts slightly sweet with a light bit of spice and twang from the alcohol. Some rock candy and bubblegum slowly give way to some green apple and under ripened pears. The raisins and apricots I got in the nose come out more in the taste as the beer warms. The alcohol is definitely noticeable but considering the high ABV it's covered quite well. Some yeasty esters add a slight bit of banana but nothing over the top. Finishes with some lingering alcohol and light fruits.
Mouthfeel- This beer drinks quite a bit lighter than the mouthfeel suggests. It's pretty hefty and smooth but drinks light and crisp. All-be-damned.
Driankability- Honestly Belgium's, and especially American Belgium's, are not my favorite style. They are pretty hit and miss with me and I tend to like the ones more that are not sweet and the yeast isn't necessarily the dominating presence. That's what Baptista accomplishes. It's very balanced and tasty and I enjoyed every sip. Thanks much Brent and Mike!

White fuzzy head is clean and quick fading from its early one finger stance. Body is a honey straw color with a bit of murky haze tword the center of the glass. Nose includes notes of lemon and orange zest, sharp alchol, and even a barnyard funk with light spice thrown in. Enters the mouth with a very complex mix of soft spice and creamy citrus rind. The style comes off very much like a well made saison with complexity and balanced tones of honey and sugar cane sweetness with a bit of malt balance. Alchol is ther but the 11.5% is well hidden in the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is thick , glazing and almost sticky. Nicely drinkable on a variety of levels.

taste is good. again, a nice caramel and fruity character starts things off, melting into a malty middle and finishing with some nice warming alcohol and a bit of spice. light caramel and honey. apple, apricot, pear, tangerine and orange. white bread, cracker, and a touch of grain. hints of cardamom, coriander, bit of clove. touch of yeast.

mouthfeel is great. medium-light body. just over medium carbonation level. while the finish isn't quite dry, it isn't sweet either.

drinkability is quite good. the alcohol is higher than some, yet hides itself better than most. the sweetness, fruit, and decent malt base help to temper it and it mainly comes out as a lightly spreading warmth on the way down. i think i'll have to force myself to sip at this one, as i'd gladly see it going down dangerously fast. good stuff.